Pre-ground meat, “mince” or simply “hamburger” as it’s known in various parts of the world, has become the default setting for a large majority of home cooking. It’s a cheap, flexible, and widely available protein. Problem is, it doesn’t usually taste very interesting when compared to other options.
I had a laundry list of concerns about the stuff years ago when I stopped buying it ready-ground. Animal welfare, actual content in those mystery grinds, and of course taste. A few high profile health scares surrounding e. coli, listeria, and other pathogens not to mention some dubious reports of adulteration from Europe pushed me over the edge to cut the pre-ground convenience cord. Conveniently I also stopped eating some 90% of my previous meat consumption about the same time so the “problem” of home grinding became quite manageable. Turns out that problem became a bonus for my taste buds and my wallet in the long run.
For the curious poking their first wooden skewer into this kofta*, I suggest you first convince yourself of the quality difference. Buy a packet of your usual mix then nab a cut of beef, pork, or otherwise and do a test run by cubing it into 2-3 inch pieces, freezing it for half an hour, then pulsing it in your food processor with short bursts to get something close to mince. If you’re as skilled as some of the Chinese butchers I’ve seen you could even accomplish the task with a pair of heavy cleavers and some serious aggression therapy on a heavy cutting board.
Season both samples lightly with salt and pepper then fry some tests in neutral oil. Have a friend swap (or not swap) the plates around and do a blind taste test. It’s really the only way to convince you that there’s a big difference in quality. To keep things fair, try to find a piece of meat that compares to the fat content label of the pre-ground sample. When in doubt talk to the friendly bloke behind the counter in the white coat wearing a butcher’s cap.
* Want a grand world tour of things to do with ground meat? I suggest finding a copy of Food Safari Fire from SBS (Australia, 2016, ten x 25 minute episodes plus companion book). Maeve O’Meara does a fine job of giving top level overviews of a dizzying array of cuisines plus some practical kitchen visits with amateur and pro chefs alike sharing solid recipes. In fact all the Food Safari series to date (eight as of January 2018) have been enjoyable. Beautifully filmed too.
One of my main concerns with the pre-ground stuff is that there could be bits of dozens of animals in there. That alone raises all sorts of red flags from a health and animal welfare standpoint but from a cook’s perspective you wouldn’t cook with bottom round when a recipe called for chuck. Clever chef’s take some basic anatomy lessons and learn which parts work best with what method. When someone else is feeding the grinding machines, you have no clue. In your own kitchen you’re in control. Hopefully all the way from your friendly neighbourhood farmer to the final plate.
While it is an investment in equipment, if you really eat a lot of the stuff you’re probably going to want to move onto a piece of equipment specifically for the task. The food processor will get you started but the relatively high speed of cutting there will tense and toughen the meat giving a less enjoyable texture. Plus there can be trouble spots in every piece of meat that need more attention the processor just can’t give. With a purpose-built meat grinder every last bit of meat is pushed against a die that controls the size cut made. Yet another level of control you won’t find in commercially prepared packages. There it’s “one size fits all” which simply isn’t the case in the wider recipe world.
Most machines will come with a variety of die sizes and more professional machines have optional attachments for the motor head ranging from tenderizers to sausage stuffers to pasta makers. The key point of all of them however is that they operate at a lower cutting speed to avoid the toughing problem you get with the food processor method. Certainly there are a few examples where that’s what you’re after (pâté or rotisserie kebab for example) but the larger majority of recipes from sausage making to meat loaf to simple hamburgers will thank you for being more gentle. The end result is almost fluffy and never dense which translates to tenderness on the fork.
While some of the machines can be painfully expensive*, you can accomplish the same goal with a simple manual machine for around $50. Easily recouped in savings if you or your family get through pounds per week and you find a good butcher (or farmer) to supply you with large cuts.
* The machine I use in the video is this model from LEM Products down in America. It performs well but a smaller model will likely serve the average home just as nicely. There are also other makes I’ve had on the bench to test and honestly most perform equally well for the actual grinding process. Where the differences come seems mostly to be on ease of cleaning/sterilizing and the volume they can handle without struggling. Curiously, I purchased mine not for meat grinding but for autumn apple grinding out on the farm during cider making season. I wanted one with a feed tube large enough to take whole apples and my monster certain does that without a hiccup.
